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Studying in halls, University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
Cambridge

Selwyn College (Cambridge) Students and Applicants

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Wow its been a long time since I visitted these parts... any Selwynite freshers around?
Studying in halls, University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
Cambridge
Reply 41
Avatar for changeme
changeme
Hey im kinda new here. went to the openday in july and rly liked selwyn so i guess i will be applying to selwyn for Medicine this year for the entry of 2008. Anybody doin or applying for medicine in selwyn? Any tips for medicine interview and ucas? thanks
KupoIncarnate
Wow its been a long time since I visitted these parts... any Selwynite freshers around?

Yep. :biggrin:

Wonder why no one posts here. :s-smilie: Oh well.
well, as a selwyn graduate i'd be happy to answer any questions
Reply 44
Avatar for Jxhn
Jxhn
13
Intresting how the Selwyn forum is so dead!

Im applying for history, as you can probably tell from my overlarge and vacuous sig, any tips for the interview or preparatory study?
Reply 45
Avatar for Mr.Osmium
Mr.Osmium
I'm coming to Selwyn on the 29th (Nat Sci), can't wait. :smile:

Just one thing, I read the rules on electrical stuff and was wondering if they'd let me plug in a small (15w) guitar amp?? Or is that gonna get me thrown out before I've even started lol......:s-smilie:

Thanks
Natsci!!! Yay!
Anyway...

I'm not too sure about the specifics of the rules but I know there were definitely people that had amps in their rooms last year - no idea if they were actually allowed or not, but they did have them.

:smile:
I'm going to have a 50W guitar amp in my room at selwyn next year. Just dont tell anyone, it will be fine.

I second the yay for natsci. Which flavour are you, phys or bio?

Ben
My incredible psychic senses are saying physical...but I'm sure he'll see the light eventually :wink:
Who are you again faik kheft? I cant remember...
Ben Jones.

Alternatively, Mrs Presland.
Reply 51
Avatar for htid
htid
Hey I'm applying to Cambridge for 2008 (NatSci)!

Still have to choose a College of a list of 5 :s-smilie:. What's Selwyn like cocerning accommodation, self-catering and look-like? (ugly buildings can depress me quite easily....)

edit: oh yeah and does it have spacious grounds?
Reply 52
Avatar for Hel
Hel
Hi Selwynites!

I got pooled from Girton last year, but I'm reapplying. I visited Selwyn last year but it wasn't an Open Day so I didn't get to meet many staff members.

Anyway, I'm very likely to apply to Selwyn this time around... but looking at the website, I'm getting a bit scared - it somehow seems less friendly than Girton. I know the website isn't everything, but I'd still like a bit of reassurance - is Selwyn friendly and fun, or can it be a bit toffee-nosed? I'm sure this is just paranoia on my part, but it would be nice if some of you could introduce yourselves and let me know I'm not applying to somewhere evil. :wink:

htid, you can get a lot of that info here. The accomodation all seems high-quality, there's a variety of kitchen facilities, and in my opinion the buildings are GORGEOUS (although if you prefer simplicity in architecture they're probably not to your taste). Grounds don't seem too big but they are very pretty. There's a visual tour if you click here.
Reply 53
Avatar for htid
htid
Do you live right at the College grounds for all three years or does Selwyn have hostels and stuff as well?
Accommodation: Selwyn has accommodation for it's students for all three years of their course. It does have a few hostels, but these are large houses all within a few hundred yards of College itself, in fact most of them are closer to the Porters Lodge than Cripps Court, which is the main accommodation block.

Prettiness: Very subjective, but I reckon Selwyn would rate in most peoples top 10 prettiest colleges, and would regularly appear in a top 5. Although it is not ancient, it has striking architecture and fantastic gardens.

Spaciousness: It's not a vast college, but does have gardens and is set in a green and open area of town.

Self-catering: Unless you live in a hostel, which will have a proper cooker, then facilities for self-catering are a bit basic (that's the polite version). Rumour has it that the Bursar wants to encourage people to eat in Hall. To be fair, Hall does offer a very wide range of eating options, so there is no real need to self-cater, it's just a matter of personal preference.

Friendliness: Again, highly subjective, but it has always seemed very friendly to me, very welcoming and non-judgemental (I'm not your standard student and this was a worry of mine before I came up). Maybe the reason it's so quiet on here is because Selwyn students really are too busy with the boat club, music, drama, sports etc.

Hope that helps some :smile:
Reply 55
Avatar for htid
htid
oooh hmm i think i'm close to applying to Selwyn! One last question though: What about bathrooms? Can you get en-suite in first year? I wouldnt mind sharing with two or three students, but 8 or sth would scare me off!

edit: how basic is basic? do you get a hob? the thing is i'm vegetarian and if they only have like one vegetarian option a day....doesn't mean i like the single thing that is suitable so i'd like to have the change to cook for myself. i guess i'd be fine if it was just a microwave, too. but a hob is always useful for pasta :biggrin:
Hmmm interim answer hoping that an undergrad saunters by and gives something more definite!

The only en-suites that I have heard of are in Anne's Court, so realistically, no you aren't going to see much of en-suites at Selwyn. From what I've seen around College, and that isn't everything by a long shot, showers are shared between 2-4 and loos between 6-8 (3 cubicles).

Basic, again as far as I've seen is two electric rings (feeble) and sometimes a microwave (not from college, but because someone got permission to keep one in a kitchen). Rice cookers, grills etc are not allowed, but there seem to be a suspicious number of boxes of them in my nearest kitchen! Toasters and kettles/coffee machines seem to be allowed in rooms, fridges aren't allowed (all unless there are extenuating circumstances). There is a fridge in each kitchen though.

I mostly self cater, but last time I went to Hall there seemed to be more than one veggie option, not least because there is always a salad bar as well as hot options (plus sandwiches, home-made cakes, soft and alcoholic drinks, breakfast cereals, chocolate bars,fruit and ice-creams!)
Okay, let's see if I can give any help here...
All rooms have their own sink. Ensuite rooms are found in Ann's Court, currently about 40 rooms occupied by second/third years. Rooms in Cripps court (where all first years and some second years live) have a shower between two and toilets between a corridor of 4 - 8 people. Rooms in old court have a bathroom between about 4.

Self-catering facilities aren't fabulous (I think they want you to eat in hall really), but college-owned houses have proper kitchens and all other corridors have gyp rooms, which contain several hobrings and a fridge. You have to ask permission for a microwave - I'm not sure when permission will be granted, but I know that some people with special diets have one. Hall catering is usually quite good with vegetarian options, and there usually seems to be more than one (and there's always soup/cold snacks/salad bar anyway, even if you don't fancy the hot options).

Hel - I can't have you thinking Selwyn is unfriendly!!!. Selwyn is an incredibly friendly college, and not remotely toffee-nosed (being quite a poor/not particularly renowned college it doesn't really attract snobby types). The college website doesn't exactly radiate friendliness, but then it isn't created by undergrads (at least I think it's not!!!) so it can't give any real impression of the people here. Almost everyone that I know here said they applied because they wandered around and found the students so friendly!!!!

:smile:

Edit: I forgot to mention the aesthetics! Subjective, but old court is very pretty (pictures on the college website or google image Selwyn college). Cripps court is a 1960s creation, so it's not the most attractive thing you'll ever see. On the other hand, it's better than a lot of the 60s creations you'll see in Cambridge, and it's pretty hard to find a college without a slightly unpretty accommodation block, and at least it is close to the main college! It's also surrounded by the university rugby pitch and the countryside so there's a good chance of a lovely view from your window. And the gardens are gorgeous.
Reply 58
Avatar for Hel
Hel
Brilliant! :smile: And it's not at all gossipy/bitchy either? It's quite a small college so that's why I thought of that...
Don't forget that College is only part of your source of socialising, your course and the clubs you join also make up a large part of life here. Then your cohort of students make up one third of the undergrad life in College, so you have the power to set the tone vis a vis friendliness or otherwise to a very large extent. I think, in general, undergrads are too busy with academic work and the clubs/societies they join for any college to be considered noticeably friendlier or bitchier than others over any length of time.

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